Teen who texted boyfriend to kill himself gets 15 months jail

The judge said her final note to the 18-year-old caused his death, by carbon monoxide poisoning.

During the sentence, Carter, looking tense and red-faced, stared at the floor and then at the judge, turning occasionally to have a brief word with her attorney.

Carter's lawyer, Joseph Cataldo, told the court that both young people at the time were "struggling with mental issues themselves".

Cataldo said he will appeal Carter's conviction by arguing that Carter did not break any law when she encouraged Roy to take his own life.

"Not having that one person I've been with every day since birth is a pain I'll always keep with me for the rest of my life", she said.

Carter's grim taunt was one of dozens of similar texts she sent Roy urging him not to back down. "Where was her humanity?" he asked.

But members of the Roy family, some of whom voiced dissatisfaction with the stay in Carter's sentence yesterday, could also see the case through to a jury if they want a more public form of justice. Carla Andrews, who mentored Carter while she was a student at King Philip High School in Wrentham, wrote a letter to Moniz last month asking for leniency.

Dressed in red pants and a cream blouse, Carter stood tearfully with hands clasped and eyes cast down as she was sentenced.

The judge called the case, which has garnered global attention, "a tragedy for two families".

But the authorities-including a Bristol County judge-concluded that in 2014 Carter sent Conrad Roy text messages that wantonly and recklessly caused him to poison himself in a vehicle with carbon monoxide.

But David Carter, Michelle's father, begged for probation and "continued counselling" in a July letter to Judge Lawrence Moniz.

Lynn Roy's lawsuit cites the phone calls, as well as text messages in which Carter "specifically instructed" Roy to use a generator to generate the gas and told him to kill himself while others were asleep. Carter has been out on bail and living at home while awaiting her sentencing.

A prosecutor has urged seven to 12 years' imprisonment for a MA woman who sent numerous text messages urging her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself. Carter will remain on probation for a further five years after release.

Knox closes the piece by saying Carter deserves sympathy and help.

The judge ruled that it was reasonable to assume that Roy would not have gone through with the suicide but for Roy's command to get back in the truck. Reportedly, the prosecutor told the court that, " Only her actions killed Conrad Roy and she tried to end to his life to improve her life". Before sentencing, Roy's mother, Lynn Roy, told the court the following: "I still can not come to terms that another person who knew and described how much they loved my son would want to inflict so much pain".

"I am heartbroken", he said.

Ahead of Carter's sentencing Thursday, Roy's family had urged the judge to impose the maximum 20-year sentence.

This item has been corrected to show that Camden Roy recalled the 13 years she spent with her older brother, not that she is 13 years old.

Michelle Carter has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail, but must serve at least 15 months of that time behind bars for the manslaughter of her boyfriend.

She argued that after Mr Roy's death, Ms Carter put on a charade as "the grieving girlfriend" for the victim's family and friends, even though she had repeatedly pressured him to act on his suicidal thoughts. Carter will be sentenced Thursday. He said he will also argue that Carter didn't break any laws because MA doesn't have a law against assisting or encouraging suicide.

He added: "I pray to God you will take into consideration that Michelle was a troubled, vulnerable teenager in an extremely hard situation and made a tragic mistake".